Southern California -- this just in

Gunman in Irwindale shooting had some financial problems

December 20, 2011 | 9:38
am

The Southern California Edison analyst who killed two managers and wounded two others last week had some financial problems, court records show.

Detectives said they still aren't sure what prompted Andre Turner, 48, to meticulously target supervisors at Edison's Irwindale office on Friday afternoon in a deadly shooting rampage before he fatally shot himself. Robert Lindsay, 53, and Henry Serrano, 56, died in their offices.

Authorities said Turner had "received a verbal reprimand" from one of his bosses in the days before the shooting for failing to meet an audit deadline. Those in the office had considered it a minor incident but the Norco man may have taken it more seriously, according to a law enforcement source familiar with the investigation.

"Witnesses describe him as calm and calculated -- even making smalltalk between the shootings," the source said.

Turner exhibited no unusual behavior on the morning before the shooting, the source said, and people initially were not aware of the event unfolding. "It was almost a sociopathic shooting," according to the source.

Turner may have been facing financial turmoil. His five-bedroom home in Norco was listed for sale in November at $590,000 -- $121,000 less than he and his wife paid for the 5,000-square-foot home seven years ago, real estate records show.

Riverside court records show that Citibank sued him in 2008 over an unpaid credit card debt and were later awarded a default judgment for $5,020, When the lawsuit was filed, he was more than $1,000 in arrears. Records also show a default judgment for $4,913 was issued for Cavalry Portfolio Services, a debt collection agency, which had sued an Andre Turner in Norco in August 2009 on behalf of a credit card issuer.

Still, sheriff's homicide Lt. Holly Francisco said detectives have no direct evidence of a motive for the killings. "We don't have one," she said. Francisco said detectives are still checking out the origins of a semi-automatic handgun.

They are also still interviewing the two survivors and relatives of the deceased to determine if they were aware of any prior threats by Turner.

Angela Alvarez, 46, one of Turner's bosses, remains hospitalized. Abhay Pimpale, an independent contractor working for Edison, had recovered enough to be released from a hospital, Edison officials said.

Meanwhile, the Irwindale offices reopened to workers Tuesday. A company spokeswoman said grief counselors would be available to the 1,050 employees who work at the complex on Rivergrade Road.

"This is their first day back. Obviously it's very difficult," said Edison spokeswoman Vanessa McGrady.

Parts of the building where the shooting took place will remain closed as the investigation continues.

The company has added security in the wake of the shooting, McGrady said.